Introducing D.C. Lewis Footwear - Affiliate Thread

David (distinctive) and I (Logan, a.k.a. rebel222) are proud to introduce D. C. Lewis Footwear. We have been working diligently on this project for several months now, and we want to take a moment to talk about our new line of men's footwear. Our goal is to offer top-notch quality, sleek yet classical designs, and comfort at an affordable price.

Our goodyear-welted shoes are extremely well crafted, with great attention to detail and lots of handwork. We have gone to great lengths to insure the highest quality and greatest comfort, while equally focusing on design and balance.

We intend for the style and quality of D. C. Lewis to compete with some of the well-established elite brands in high-end footwear, but priced similarly to the middle-tier brands. Our goal is to offer a level of quality, detail, and style that are not typically available in this price range. We do not believe that there is a better value available.

We hope that the shoe design and quality will speak for itself. We have also asked a few well-respected and extremely knowledgeable Styleforum members to give you a non-biased review of our first model, named "Clayton". These members will hopefully add some guidance to the fit as well. We encourage you to try out our shoes as we are confident that you will be overwhelmed by the value of these shoes.

We will also provide our guidance on fit below this post.

Models

Clayton

We are proud to introduce our first model, "Clayton." It is a sleek, single monkstrap. It is on a classic, yet sophisticated, round toe last, called the 102. Made from fine French box calfskin in a color called "mottled sienna". The shoes are goodyear-welted with a single sole. The waist of the shoes are aggressively beveled. Sizing is written in both in US and UK sizing on the shoe itself; however, for ease of purchase, all sizes will be listed according to the US size. Currently, only standard widths are available. The B&S thread will contain an updated list of available sizes: Link. Quantities are limited. If an item has sold out or if you would like to order these in a wide size, we would be happy to accommodate you. Our introductory price for this model is only $424.99 + S&H. However, we will be waiving the price of S&H to Styleforum members located in the US and discounting S&H to our international members. Our B&S thread, here, is the place to purchase in stock models. If you have any questions or special requests, email us.

Note: Future models will have a fiddleback waist but will be priced only slightly higher. An example of the fiddleback is included with the Porter pictures.

Porter

The "Porter" will be our second model. We are taking pre-orders for this model. It is a half-brogue oxford. It is on a chiseled and sleek last, called the 101. Made from fine Italian box calfskin in a color we call "sienna antique." This model can also be pre-ordered in the mottled sienna shown above as well as tan, medium brown, burgundy, navy, and black (suedes also available). This model (and all subsequent models) will be offered with a beautiful fiddleback waist (seen below) at a cost of $459.99 + S&H. Please note that pre-orders will require a deposit $125. See terms below for detailed information regarding pre-orders.

Available Leathers

Future Models

Continue to check back regularly because we will be updating this thread with our future models.

Terms

Payment

For now, we are only accepting Paypal, postal money orders, and certified U.S. bank checks. Paypal payments are processed by invoice. Please email us at DCLEWISFOOTWEAR@GMAIL.COM if you want to purchase a pair or need directions for the other methods of payment.

Pre-orders

We require a non-refundable deposit of $125 on all pre-orders. Please allow approximately 8 weeks for delivery. The deposit is due at the time of order. The remaining balance is due within 15 days of notification that the shoes have been delivered to us. If payment is not made within this time period, we reserve the right to sell the shoes to someone else.

Shipping

Standard shipping method will be via USPS Priority Mail. We would be happy to ship via USPS Express Mail for an additional charge. International buyers are welcome. Please email us for a quote.

Returns

Since we are new and you may have doubts as to sizing, we will allow returns on these shoes. We must be notified of your intent to return the shoes within 7 days of you receiving the shoes. We must receive the shoes back within 7 days after you have notified us of a return (14 days for international orders). The shoes must not show any signs of wear (creasing, marking of soles, etc.). Make sure to try the shoes out on carpet. If the shoes are not returned in the original condition, we reserve the right to offer only a partial refund, or no refund in cases of excessive wear. What constitutes sufficient wear to reject a refund is within D.C. Lewis's sole discretion. Please note that shipping charges are non-refundable both ways, so if you qualify for a return we will deduct the initial shipping expense from your refund. We think this is a fair way for us to allow you to try on the shoes without having the risk of being stuck with a pair that does not fit well.

Great job guys, been waiting to see what you guys were coming up with. The first obvious question that someone is going to ask is, "where are these made", followed by, "is sizing TTS/how does it compare sizewise to C&J 337/EG 82/Vass U Last/Alden" etc, etc.

Great job guys, been waiting to see what you guys were coming up with. The first obvious question that someone is going to ask is, "where are these made", followed by, "is sizing TTS/how does it compare sizewise to C&J 337/EG 82/Vass U Last/Alden" etc, etc.

Good luck dudes, looks great.

Thanks Ed, to address your questions:

Currently, the shoes are being produced in two east Asian countries: Laos and Taiwan. Although they are not typically thought of as having a long heritage of high-quality footwear, we can assure you that these shoes are of the highest quality. Also, the lower overhead of manufacturing in these countries allows us to transfer the low cost of this product on to you.

We will be posting our fit advice as well as a few reviews from fellow members that contain their personal experience with fit shortly.

Well I have to say that I was surprised in a good way when I opened the box David sent me. He had asked me to take a look at a sample pair from his new shoe line, but didn't say anything else so I didn't have any idea what to expect. Out of the shoe bag came a beautiful side-monk, extremely reminiscent of the John Lobb Vale! David doesn't have a pair in my own size (13) yet, so I can only offer my opinions as to styling, finishing, construction, and to some extent materials: Styling - The last is quite elegant to my eye, more sophisticated than the 8000 that the Vale's were made on. It has a round toe, tapered and elongated somewhat. There just a bit of height in the toebox which I feel is important - a toebox that is too low has always looked wrong to my eye. I like the overall lines very much, though I am interested in how they will translate in a larger size. The overall appearance of this shoe strikes me as very English. Construction - This appears to be genuine goodyear welt construction, with a fair degree of hand finish work. The sole bed has the imperfect look of the better English and Italian makes rather than the cookie-cutter appearance of cheaper Goodyear welted shoes. The upper is two-piece, with a covered seam at the back of the heel. Upper stitching is neat and well executed. The single-sole is channeled in the English fashion, with an anti-slip rubber heel tip and brass nails. Finishing - Very good! The upper is a rich dark brown with subtle antiquing that looks a bit more like Lobb's "Museum" finish than it does Edward Green's burnished finish (more subtle and not so splotchy as "Museum" though.) Welt stitching and the finishing of the sole and heel edges are very English in appearance, though there is slightly more welt extension than you will find on the more conservative English makes. Sole finishing is nicely executed, though in this area the work does not look English. Sole finishing is usually a dead giveaway as to a shoe's maker and country of origin. As I told David, the sole on these has me guessing - I suspect the maker is going to be something of a surprise. The interior is finished in soft vegetable-tanned leather, with a tasteful "D.C. Lewis" logo and (legible!) hand lettering indicating the model and size. Materials - It is hard to gauge materials completely without wearing a shoe and seeing how they hold up. However, to my eye the upper, lining and sole leather all appear to be of a high grade. My overall impression of the D.C. Lewis Clayton is a completely positive one. The design is elegant, the construction solid and the finishing excellent. I would not hesitate to work these into my shoe rotation alongside my Vass, Edward Green, Santoni etc. And the best news of all is the price. I expected David to quote a retail price in the $590 - $750 range, and would have considered them a value at those prices. After I had some time to evaluate the sample he quoted me retail price point of $400-$450! I was shocked to say the least, as there is no shoe I am aware of that offers this much for your money. I look forward to seeing the new fiddle-back sole finishing, as that will really take them over the top.

Please note that we had absolutely no influence on the review. We posted it as received, and A Harris will confirm this later today. A Harris was offered a one-time discount on a pair of shoes in exchange for his time to complete a review, whether positive or negative. He has no financial interest in the success of our shoe line. We will be posting all of the reviews that we received (3 total), and we do not have any reviews that will not be posted. Also, there are no parties that were asked to review the shoes that did not do so. In other words, we are not screening the reviews in any manner. The Styleforum mods asked us to handle reviews in this manner.

Here is my personal experience with the 101 and 102 last. I have a high instep, so I will do my best to explain my current lasts and DC Lewis experience. Because of my high instep, so I usually have issues with width at the waist of a balmoral. I usually wear an 8.5-9 US, depending on the maker. To further explain, if the shoes has a high instep, I can size down to an 8.5 (or UK/EU equivalent) I wear 8.5D on the Barrie and the Trubalance in Alden. I wear a 9D in most AE shoes. I wear a 7.5E (UK) on the C&J Handgrade. I go down on this last due to the instep height. In Edward Green, I wear a 8.5E (UK) almost across the board (888, 88, 82, and 32) except the 202 last, which I wear a 8.5D (UK). In Vass U-last, I wear a 41.5. I also go down in size on this last because of the very high instep. On the DC Lewis 101 (chiseled last), I wear a 9D (US), and it is one of my best fitting shoes. It was just a hair snug at the waist on my first 2 wears. After I broke it in, it feels great. The shoe has a standard instep height, hence the reason I wear a 9D in it. I have been wearing my Porters in rotation every other day for a couple of months. I did this to get an idea on fit and comfort over time. On the DC Lewis 102 (round toe last), I also wear a 9D (US). This shoe was a little tighter in the waist, but it also feels great after breaking in. It started a little tighter than the 101. We have gotten other feedback that the 102 is a hair tighter at the waist. I would recommend that if you are generally narrow to standard, you should wear your standard US size. If you tend to be on the wider side of standard, you may be best to size up. David also wears his standard size on the 102. We did have a reviewer that needed to size up. Please remember that we will take returns for fit issues (see terms above).